How to Dismantle a Bunk Bed

Bunk beds are heavy and awkward to move, which is why preparing to take apart your bunk bed properly before you move is essential. We recommend disassembling your bunk bed before the moving truck arrives. This will prevent you from being left scrambling to dismantle your bunk bed after having unsuccessfully attempted to pivot it every which way to get it through the door frame.

Bunk Beds can be one of the most time-wasting furniture pieces to dismantle on the day of your move. The greater the preparation of simple things such as bunk beds the more likely you are to feel ready to face moving day. So here we offer Removals and Storage Experts easy guide for how to dismantle a bunk bed.

For the required tools and ten simple steps that break down how to take apart a bunk bed in detail with pictures to guide you the whole way through read on!

Before you begin:

Prepare enough space to work in

This is essential, as you do not want to be dismantling and find yourself cornered with pieces of the frame tumbling down on you. Take the time to clear the room the bunk bed is in as much as possible and then move the bed into the centre of the room.

Ensure you have someone working with you

You should never build or dismantle anything with heavy parts without having at least someone in the the room with you, but ideally helping you. Dismantling furniture can be dangerous if something gets dropped, especially if you are not wearing proper protective gear like steel toed boots.

Wear protective clothing

How to dismantle a bunk bed:

Prepare your tools

Cordless drill

Allen (hex) bit

Allen (hex) keys

slot screwdriver

Phillips screwdriver

Remove the mattresses from the frame and place them aside

Now is as good a time as any to wrap your mattress in plastic. This will keep dirt and dust out of your mattresses and doing it before you take apart your bunk bed reduces the likelihood of forgetting to do it later. To create space in the room for deconstruction we recommend that you place the mattresses in another room, especially if you are working in a tight space.

Remove the screws from the ladder side of the bed using your screwdriver

As with all hardware, we suggest that you place the screws into a plastic bag and keep it in the same place in the room, like a window sill, as you dismantle your bunk bed. It is also a good idea to keep all tools in the same place to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of yourself and whomever is helping you to take the bunk bed apart.

Remove the ladder from the bunk and place safely to the side

Why not wrap as you go? Keep a blanket handy to wrap the ladder in before you place aside. The best place is with the mattresses, safely out of the way and ready for transport into the moving truck.

Be mindful of supporting screws

Supporting screws may fall off the bed as or after you remove the main screws. Ensure you are paying attention to these and continue to place screws into your plastic bag for safe keeping as you go.

Remove the ladder side of the bed and ensure all screws have been removed

As you take apart your bunk bed it is important to be thorough so you risk neither losing parts nor leaving hazards on the floor. You will also be saving yourself some hassle by ensuring all screws on this side of the bed have been taken out before you try to remove this side of the frame.

Remove this whole side of the bed

We recommend always working with more than one body when deconstructing or moving any furniture. It is especially important in this case, as with two people you can support the side that is still in tact from either end of the bed as you remove this side of the bunk bed frame.

Once the sides are removed, continue by dismantling safety rails

The safety rail is attached to the outer side rail of the upper bunk via screws. Unscrew these and remove the safety rail, putting aside with other parts. Again, keep all screws together and ensure there are two people working to keep remaining attached parts of the bunk bed supported.

Take the other side of the bed apart as above

Taking apart a bunk bed is a matter of careful handling and teamwork. You will want to coordinate with the other person handling the task before flipping the frame of the bunk bed over to tackle the other side.

Secure all parts of the bed including the screws

It is a good idea to wrap each section of the bed individually to prevent scratching or damage in the moving truck. You can use strong tape to adhere the plastic bag with screws to one part of the bed or create a box of all hardware from all furniture so that everything is in the same place. Either way, it is essential that you label the plastic bag so you know where the screws belong!

Tips for making your dismantled bunk bed easy to assemble again on the other side:

Keep all the bolts and screws in a plastic bag and label it so it doesn’t get lost in a pile with miscellaneous nuts and bolts from your relocation.

Wrap the bed frames in protective moving blankets before loading them on the truck to prevent scratching and scuffing.

Wrap your mattresses in plastic to keep dust out.

While we are sure you can do it by yourself we are happy to do it for you! With all the tasks moving requires you to complete we believe our assistance will really help you take a load off. Visit our our packing services page for more info or click Get Quote on any of our webpages and someone from our expert customer relations team will assist you. We are happy to help.